Friday, December 17, 2010

TOM MOFFATT Elvis Presley is greeted by fans as he arrives in
Honolulu for his historic Arizona Memorial
concert in 1961.

Elvis shook it up
40 years ago for
the Arizona Memorial

The rock star's show at Pearl
Harbor got the project on its way

By Burl Burllingame
Star-Bulletin

It was a quiet Sunday 60 years ago when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. This Sunday, 40 years ago, Pearl Harbor was anything but quiet. The King was in the house.On March 25, 1961, Elvis Presley made his first post-Army appearance, and he did it for the Navy. Presley performed in a charity fund-raiser at Bloch Arena to kick-start the struggling USS Arizona Memorial building fund.It is an event largely unremembered and unmemorialized, even though a rock 'n' roll entertainer was able to accomplish something that admirals, generals and politicians could not.
More than a thousand U.S. sailors were entombed in the battleship when a bomb ripped apart the bow, splitting the hull. It sank in minutes and the bodies were never recovered.
Dozens of plans were proposed to memorialize the crew of the Arizona, the U.S. Navy's single greatest loss of life, but for nearly 20 years military efforts at raising funds were fumbling and disorganized. There was also no agreement on the size and shape of the memorial.

Eventually, a design by architect Alfred Preis was accepted, even though the Navy had asked for a memorial shaped like a ship's "bridge" and Preis' design was like a bridge crossing a river.Although the U.S. Navy insisted on complete control of the Arizona Memorial, they had no experience in creating such structures. The Navy's fund-raising was confused, and ineffective, even when they hired civilians to do it for them.
Hawaii journalists appealed to other newspapers to help. George Chaplin of the Honolulu Advertiser mailed something like 1,500 letters, asking for articles or editorials about the Arizona Memorial. The Los Angeles Examiner responded with an editorial, and one of their readers that day was Elvis Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker."The colonel read in an L.A. newspaper that the memorial-building project was not going to be finished," recalled radio personality and concert promoter "Uncle Tom" Moffatt, a friend of Parker's.According to Ron Jacobs, another KPOI "Poi-Boy" disc jockey at the time, "Parker, a veteran of World War I, served in the U. S. Army at Fort DeRussy in Waikiki and loved Hawaii."Elvis did his first concerts here in November 1957 at the Honolulu Stadium.That is when Tom Moffatt and I met Elvis and Col. Parker. We were disc jockeys and the first ones to play Elvis' records. Colonel invited us to emcee one concert each. That remains one of the most exciting experiences of my life."
The benefit was also an opportunity for Presley to ease back into playing for a live audience. Presley was just getting out of the Army and he hadn't performed for a couple of years. Presley also wanted to do something patriotic for his country after serving in the military.
"Chaplin was a veteran of World War II who served on the staff of The Stars and Stripes, the official U. S. military paper," said Jacobs. "Several other Stars staff members were discharged in Honolulu and joined Chaplin."
USS Arizona Memorial historian Dan Martinez credits newspapers for keeping the memorial concept alive. "Editors of daily newspapers across the country were connected in their profession, that was how they kept the story going.
"Parker and Elvis had to go to Hawaii anyway, to film a movie they thought would be called 'Waikiki Beachboy' (it turned out to be "Blue Hawaii"), so Parker thought it would be good publicity to schedule the benefit concert that would raise well over $64,000 for the memorial."But the memorial needed half a million dollars. The total already raised at that time was $250,000, which was only half of what they needed. Federal money was eventually taken to finish the memorial, which means that half the money that was raised later came from the taxpayers," said Martinez.
But before the concert could go on, Parker had to convince "the brass," admirals, generals, etc., that a benefit concert would actually be profitable. The military officers were skeptical, said Moffatt.
Moffatt went with Col. Parker to "see the reaction" of the officers. "It was still the early days of rock 'n' roll, which conservative people still thought of as wild music. But Col. Parker was such a great salesman that by the end of the meeting, the colonel had the brass saluting him," Moffatt recalled.
Jacobs also remembers the summit meeting. "Moffatt and I were on hand when Parker briefed the highest military in the Pacific. Although he was an 'Honorary Colonel' from the state of Tennessee he had the authentic generals and admirals hypnotized when he spoke. As the officers left, they were each given a photo of Elvis. They had to restrain themselves from looking like excited fans.""Our sincere thanks to Col. Parker," said Pacific War Memorial fund-raising chief H. Tucker Gratz afterward to the press. "It's hard to believe this is real.""It is," said Parker. "You know, Elvis is 26. This last Sunday was his birthday and that's about the average age of those boys entombed in the Arizona. I think it's appropriate that he should be doing this."

Star-Bulletin columnist Dave Donnelly was a news editor at KPOI when he happened onto the interview among Moffatt, Jacobs and Parker announcing the concert. "Col. Parker waved his hands at all these kids who were sitting in the studio and said, 'You're all invited too,' and they were. He bought their tickets," Donnelly said.The concert was scheduled for Mar. 25, 1961, in the Bloch Arena next to the Pearl Harbor entrance. The goal of $50,000 was topped by almost $15,000. Tickets were sold at stores like Sears, for a top price of $5.
The concert not only raised money, it also raised public awareness of the need for a memorial. All funds raised went into planning and building the Arizona Memorial; Elvis wasn't paid his usual fee of $25,000.
"I don't believe in part-time charities," said Col. Parker. "Elvis will not receive a cent for his evening's work."
"Parker believed that if you did a fund-raising concert that all the money made, every penny of it, went to the cause," Moffatt explained.
Even Elvis purchased tickets. Col. Parker and the admirals bought tickets to the show to increase the total amount raised. "The colonel made sure that absolutely no one got in the show for free," Moffatt said.
Many $100 tickets were sold, and Presley bought the first one.
The show was memorable. "Because it was a small indoor hall, the screaming and cheering was louder than the 1957 outdoor shows. It was literally a situation where you couldn't hear yourself think," Jacobs said."On the night of the show there was the electricity and excitement that was felt only at Elvis concerts. I have attended many concerts. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, 'N Synch, etc., never generated the highly charged audience reaction that Elvis did."I was amazed at how much music such a small group of performers could generate. Elvis' onstage moves, which have since been widely copied, captured visually what his music sounded like. To me, the most exciting moment was when Elvis ended his smash-hit song 'Hound Dog' by landing on both his knees and skidding at least 6 feet across the stage.
"Minnie Pearl, a comedy 'hillbilly' singer and star of 'The Grand Ol' Opry' radio and TV show received 'special guest' billing. Parker brought Elvis' complete road show and touring band. They were most of the original musicians and singers on Elvis' first records: D.J. Fontana on drums, Scotty Moore on guitar and the Jordanaires as backup singers."There had never before been a high-profile fund-raising concert -- especially not one by a rock 'n' roll performer. Despite this contribution, there is no mention of Presley's special concert at the Arizona memorial itself or at the visitors' center.There is only one plaque at the memorial that mentions Presley as just one of the many contributors to the building of the Arizona Memorial.
Elvis Presley merchandise and artifacts are viewable only within the archives at the memorial. None of it is on public display.
"Moffatt and I remained friends with Col. Parker until he died several years ago," Jacobs said. "His biggest disappointment was that Elvis never received official government credit for this contribution to Hawaii, the country and the world.
"Personally, I find this ironic and offensive. Unlike many performers and politicians, Presley and Parker made no attempt to receive preferential treatment and not join the military on active duty. Presley and Parker were both veterans who served their country."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

"...What really surprised me was the extraordinary talent of Elvis Presley. He took to this part as if he had been a dramatic actor all his life, with particular feel for Odets' colorful and poetic dialogue". Philip Dunne

When Elvis Presley stated that he wanted to be an actor, he didn't had in mind the musical teen exploitation comedies he became known for during the mid 60's, he had James Dean and Marlon Brando in mind, his personal idols.His first four movies during the 50's: Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole, where musical dramas, the studios needed him to do some musical numbers as that was what they where selling if they put Elvis Presley as the star of their product, yes their where teen oriented exploitation material, but as Elvis image was that of the rocker, the rebel, somehow they became enough of dramatic vehicles to start Elvis in the acting direction he wished, and the music he performed was as good as his studio material anyhow.Jaihouse Rock (1957) and King Creole (1958) where meant to be cult classics of the 50's rock era, and Elvis will be forever remember in the big screen that way.

Yet, as he returned from the army, producer Hall Wallis, had plants way different, he saw an Elvis his new Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis vehicle, this time pushed to a new and highly exploitable market: teenagers. The hard edged, sex charged, rock rebel image had to be tamed (this was a Hall Wallis production value), and no, there where no plan to direct Elvis into a career in serious acting roles. G.I. Blues (1960) was the first in that area, the teen oriented musical comedy Presley formula had been inagurated, and Elvis disliked it since he readed the script for the first time, but a 7 year contract had been signed, and he hoped that the mainstream popularity that these new kind of pictures will give him, latter will paid him with the roles he did wanted. That never happened for the sake of Elvis most bitter regrets.

But between G.I. Blues and the rest of the teen exploitation movies that followed for seven years, there were two movies, unique in Elvis filmography, that neither belong to the string of movies he did in the 50's, neither to the string of formula movies he did for the rest of the 60's. Still under contract with Fox, the company that first signed him to do his very first movie, came Flaming Star in 1960, a western with a screenplay originally written for Marlon Brando directed by Don Siegel. Elvis did it good for a young actor with not much experience, but he seemed for sure at odds in certain scenes, although he really shined in a few others. The movie was well recieved and reached #12 in Variety's weekly list of top grossing films, but was no match for the succes GI Blues had months before.

But a second movie came out of the Twentieth Century Fox lots next year, Wild in The Country, based in J.R. Salamanca's novel, was the prefect vehicle for both: to fulfill Elvis own wishes about the kind of picture in which he wanted to be, as well as the kind of role that perfectly fitted Elvis acting abilities at the time.

Wild in the Country (1961) was the kind of film drama in which Elvis Presley wanted to be, that's the closest he reached and the closest thing we got to his ideal of the acting career he pursued in 1956 when he asked his manager, Col. Tom Parker, to take him to Hollywood, as he wanted more than any other thing, to be an actor. Totally underrated, this is Elvis Presley's best movie along with King Creole, if there's still any doubt of Elvis acting potential, those two movies had to dispel that doubt or sense of mockery when Elvis the movie star topic is on the table.

In Wild in The Country he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The movie starts off with Glenn Tyler (Elvis Presley) getting into a fight with, and badly injuring, his drunken brother. A court releases him on probation into the care of his uncle in a small town, appointing Irene Sperry (Hope Lange) to give him psychological counselling. Marked as a trouble-maker, he is falsely suspected of various misdemeanors including an affair with Irene and his cousin (Tuesday Weld). By the way Presley began an off-screen romance with Hollywood "bad girl" Tuesday Weld but the relationship was short-lived after Colonel Tom Parker warned Presley against his involvement, fearful it would harm his image, (Weld was still underage, 17 at the time, Elvis was 25).

Wild in The Country was well recieved by the critics, but this time, it was the audiences who failed him, director Philip Dunne would later say: "Audiences who would have liked Clifford Odet's drama wouldn't buy Elvis and his songs, and Presley fans were disappointed in a picture which departed so radically from the usual: teen explotation musical formula". In fact many Elvis fans were pleased with this new direction, and the movie was a success financially speaking, but a modest one compared to G.I. Blues or his 50's movies. Then for his next movie, Hall Wallis was in charge of production, the first big budget musical in Presley filmography was in the way, this time a teenagers beach movie: Blue Hawaii (1961), all records at the box office where broken. Success was Elvis own enemy this time, all his subsequent movies were largely formula musicals which were quite lucrative but never gave him the chance to develop his potential as a serious actor that was very apparent in "Wild in the Country".

But looking back in time, and still a good movie that is worth to watch Elvis fan or not, as the movie and Elvis acting stands on its own, here it is, in modest Avi format for everybodys preview, (go and buy it if you like it): Wild in The Country: "Lonely Man... Loving Man... Singing Man..." as slogan advertising for the film readed.

Elvis not only could have been an actor at the level of Brando or Dean if he had given the chance to continue in this direction, but for a little while, in those 120 min. or so of King Creole and Wild in The Country, he was that actor he wanted to be.

Friday, December 3, 2010

"Something For Everybody" is the thirteenth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2370, in June 1961. Recording sessions took place on November 8, 1960, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, and on March 12, 1961 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at #1 on the Top Pop Albums chart for three weeks.

After his military discharge from the army in March 1960, three singles had all topped the charts, and his first album, Elvis Is Back!, had gone to #2 on the album chart, any doubts about Presley's ability to recapture the momentum of his career in the 1950s had been laid to rest. "Something for Everybody" was Elvis second post-army album (well that omiting a soundtrack album: G.I. Blues, and a Gospel album: His Hand in Mine), and if "Elvis is Back!" was the perfect Elvis album, showcasing each style that makes his unique sound what it was: from rock & roll to pop, from gospel-tinged ballads to tough Chicago blues, from country sounds to doo-wop & Jazzy tones, plus delivered by an Elvis that sounded not only as good as he sounded in the 50's but better, more confident & pasionate, more in control, with an expanded vocal range, in a word, a more experienced musician, then its expected follow up "Something for Everybody" became a bit misunderstood, missreaded, and since, it has become one of his most underrated albums, when it is actually one of his best and most acomplished works, one that equals "Elvis is Back!" the arguably best Elvis album ever, or at least of that period in time.

"Something for Everybody" represents a 26 year old Elvis Presley that refuses to repeat himself, if "Elvis is Back!" was the sum up of everything he had ever been at the time, "Something for Everybody" was a departure from anything he had ever been as a recording artist, although a departure well grounded on the musical styles that most influenced him. With a side full of rockers and up tempos, it did satisfied the hunger of rock and roll fans expecting nothing but that of him, but it was the other side of the vinyl, what took everybody by surprise: it was a look at the future, a look into what came to be known as "The Nashville Sound". This tasteful, restrained aproach, epitomised by the sporadic flourishes of Floyd Cramer's Piano fills, came to define and dominate the world of country music during the 60's, in terms of singing. Yes in this quest, Elvis might have put aside his rough edged explosive voice that thrilled us so much and was the forte on "Elvis is Back!", but by doing that Elvis achieved one thing about his singing: perfection.

After "Something fo Everybody" we all knew then, Elvis was not just about being a rocker, that was a phase, one of many to come, tone hat could come and go and come again, a resourse, but Elvis was, and mainly, about being a singer, the greatest of out time. Suddenly, "serious" musical critics that had put him dosn for whatever reasons the previous decade, where paying close attention to the man, to the guy that they once called a rancid aphrodiciac for teenage delincuents, and that one day they will call: the artist of the century.

And yet, it is not that Elvis didn't have anything to say about rock music in "Something for Everybody" L.P. and the singles that came out of the same recording sessions. "Little Sister", a #5 hit single in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K. and other countries around the time the album was released (included on the album on present editions of it) is one of Elvis Presley's best early 60's efforts in rock music land. At the time Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis where failing to chart by repeating over and over their 50's musical formulas, Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" points to the future of harder rock, with its atmospheric, bayou/blues twang rock environment and some particular heavy footed drumming it also predates the Creedence Clearwater Revival sound. With its heavy sombre rock beat, the cut is made all the more compelling by the presence of Hank Garland's swampy, roots oriented playing containing arguably the greatest post-Sun and certainly the greatest 60's guitar riff on an Elvis single.Its in one of the outtakes from this recording sessions, that we can hear how it was actually Elvis acoustic rhythm guitar who showed the somewhat at the time unusual rhythm pattern to Hank, it was always Elvis the timekeeper, even if his guitar was burried in the final mix. The result is a record that presages the "guitar hymn" kind of records that defined the 60's with bands like The Who (My Generation), The Beatles (Day Triper) or The Stones (Satisfaction).

"Little Sister" stands as a corner stone between the Delta blues delivered, let's say Lightin' Hopkins style, rockabilly 50's music, and the Rolling Stones latter "Street Fighting Man or Jumping Jack Flash" style, it even crosses to the music of Van Halen, I mean check out "Finish What Ya Started". But more than that, Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" set the mood for the undergound garage sound that was about to develop during that decade, think of "Wild Thing" for instance. Elvis Presley, once again had reinvented rock music.

Another track on this album that looks well into the future is "Put the Blame on Me", with that funky electric keyboard fills and solo, its gritty sax licks and jazzy guitar chords, predates the sound of many mid 60's bands, this is an earlier version of the sound The Doors had in "Love Me Two Times".

Just as "Don't Be Cruel" was the fresh flip side to the racous "Hound Dog" in '56, "(Marie's The Name of) His Lattest Flame" another guitar driven song, this time by Elvis own acoustic, was crucial at the time that 50's rock music was being looked over by the new generations that where not around back in '55, and music critics talked about rock been finally dead, Elvis delivered a refreshing unheared aproach to rock and roll music as the flip side of the way nasty "Little Sister". After Elvis and the Band worked over and over for diffrent arrangments that springed from their version of the Bo Diddley sound, they finally landed with a sound so anew that had little to do with Bo's, a sound that make you think the song could have been recorded and released in '64, or in '84 either way achieveing the same kind of succes that it did in '61: #1 on the UK charts, #4 on the US ones. In fact, the song was covered by alternative-rock band The Smiths (as part of a live medley with their song "Rusholme Ruffians") in the mid 80's, but its not so much that cover, but the fact that The Smiths builded their sound and half of their repertory on that opening guitar riff and peculiar rythm pattern what put things into perspective. Yes, the single "Little Sister" / "His Lattest Flame" was as relevant for rock music development in the first half of the 60's, as "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" was to the second half of the 50's. The Beatles covered over and over those four songs in the days they wore black leather and toured hamburg and undergound UK.

"Feel So Bad" a Chuck Willis (an Elvis favourite) original of '53, is the track that prehaps states more clearly the differences between "Elvis is Back!" and "Something for Everybody". "Reconsider Baby" the blues masterpiece that came from the "Elvis is Back" LP is everything about roughness, grittiness and hot wired energy on blues performance, while "Feel So Bad" is all about self restriction, subtleness and poetry, yes the poetry of the blues is often overestimated but "Feel So Bad" is poetry by anyones yardstick. Both tracks are paired as probably the best Elvis Presley blues performances ever, and yet they are so diffrent form each other, "Reconsider Baby" is about a nasty sound, "Feel So Bad" is the smooth sound of blues touching Jazz performance, "Reconsider Baby" is angry, jelaous, mean. "Feel So Bad" is anguish, indecision, despair and yet movin on. "Reconsider Baby" is attack, "Feel So Bad" was emotional complexity. Both are Elvis at his best. "Feel So Bad" reached #5 in the summer of '61, #2 in the UK.

Despite all the changes in his life, Elvis kept visiting Sam Philips and the Sun gang when he got the chance, and his recording of "I'm Comin' Home" is probably as close as we can get of how would Elvis might sound if he had stayed at Sun, although the recording has that polished sound of Nashville. Another song in that situation is "Judy", with its county rock sound, piano fills, Elvis rythm guitar leading the band as it becames more evident on the outakes, this could be contemporary Sun sound in a way, but it alsk sounds as The Beatles return to countryfied sounds on tracks like "You Like Me Too Much" or "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party".

"I Want You With Me" has loads and loads of echo, bluesy piano fills and structure, and something reminiscent of Elvis early hiccup singing, yet the song is far removed either from the 50's as it is from similar tracks on Elvis is Back, as it could be "A Mess of Blues", the 60's sound is embrionic here. "Give Me the Right" is a smooth blues slow crawl that leans into some Jazzy sounds of the era, but it was "There's Always Me" the closest we might get to Elvis the Jazz crooner, well not really, what it is is Elvis leaning into the sound of his teenage crooning idols, Nat King Cole and Roy Hamilton.

But it is with tracks like "Starting Today" that we finally meet another side of Elvis Presley, the mature singer, searchig for vocal perfection and moving smoothly into new musical directions. Musical directions that responded to his personal musical needs, an instinctive need to grow, but also to keep doing what he always did: "I just do what I feel" he declared in 1970. And growing was not only to develop as a singer, but also keep melting the musical panorama of his time as he did in '54, as he will do for the rest of his life."Anything is Part of You" is the perfect example, and its a gem, Elvis is so involved, a country tune, and yet so far removed from hillbilly, performed by a band that seemed to come more from the Jazz realms than from Nashville, and Elvis is neither style, it just becomes Elvis, this is when pop recording touches with making art. This was a new highly personal voice that allowed expression to a sensitivity and vulnerability that he often kept hidden from view. This was growing older with style, adapting to restrictions of adulthood and fame without shedding a fraction of his soul.

"Good Luck Charm" was the perfect pop song of the day, leaning a bit on Ska or Motown, and unlikely sound for Elvis back then and yet it became the staple for singles to come and for his next album sessions. Today is not unlikely from Elvis but one of his best known all time number one hits. Yes, he was changing, he was not going to do "That's All Right" all his life, although he will return to that rocking sound for sure in the future. "Surrender" was a return to "It's Now or Never", and he sang with such remarkable vocal control and range as he was born to cut this kind of material, his die hard rock fans might be a bit confused, but he sang so passionately and intensely, all that raw sex energy right there as no other crooner might, that this was in a way as dangerous as his harder rocking sides.

I've never like the title of this album "Something for Everybody", or "Beatles For Sale", or "Rolling Stones Now", they where more like selling catch phrases thant titles, but the diversity of styles on this Elvis album, form "Little Sister" to "Surrender", from "Feel So Bad" to "Any That's Part of You", it kind of makes sense. More to that case, around the time the album was about to be released, one of Presley's finest films was being released too, "Wild in The Country", and one track from the movie was included on the album: "I Slipped I Stumbled I Fell", also some other tracks from the film where released as B sides for the "Something For Everybody" accompanying single releases.

"Wild in the Country" was probalby the only movie along with "King Creole" that did represented the kind of pictures in which Elvis wanted to develop and acomplish himself as a dramatic serious actor, sadly this romance was short lived, the movie didn't made the kind of money that musical comedies like "GI Blues" or "Blue Hawaii" did, movies that Elvis actually hated to do, but Elvis would soon be trapped in those kind of pictures as he had already signed a 7 year or so contract, and producer where not willing to make a hundred apples if they could make a ton. The movies soon took most of his time, and the soundtracks, that rarely represented Elvis real musical interests did took over the market leaving less and less space for his studio work that ultimately was cut out in '64. In the end the movies became so formulatic, and the soundtracks so poor quality, that people lost all interest in them. Elvis carreer was in deep trouble. Despite a follow up album sessions in ''62, some spare studio sessions in '63 and '64, and the marvelous gospel sessions in '66,we had to wait until late '67 "The Guitar Man Sessions", to see Elvis displaying the kind of artistic development that he displayed in '60-'61.

As a bonus to the original "Something for Everybody" 1961 release, we have included here, all the singles, and the complete "Wild in The Country" soundtrack, as it was released around the same time and definetively is in the same artistic mood. The soundtrack is builded basically around tracks recorded with Elvis alone with his guitar, there is this sheer poignancy on tracks like "In My Way" or "Forget Me Never", that take us right to '53 when Elvis entered the Memphis recording service to cut his firts demo. Maybe "Lonely Man" is the most revealing cut in that sense. Another bonus here in Yeah Elvis! blogspot is the best of the studio sessions of the album, so you can witness the way in which Elvis and the band developed their ideas until the final cut was done.

This is one fine Elvis album, enjoy! And remember if you like it, go buy Elvis music ; ) well this album is out of print so...

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

As August 16 2010, 33th anniversary of Elvis Presley leaving this world is around the corner, and before all the ridiculous impersonactors gatherings, the nauseouas american idol (idiot) tributes, the tons of cheap and pointless memorablia that had little to do with the Real Elvis, and Presley own embarrassing movies on TV that might give you anything but Elvis (although a few might do), well here at yeahelvis.blogspot, before you get mad for not seeing Elvis treated as he deserves, we would like to remember you just one thing: Elvis Presley influence is alive and well in today's rockabilly and psycobilly scene.

Here is: "God Save The King. A Psychobilly Tribute to Elvis". A Master Piece for any Elvis fan that actually do understands what is Elvis really about.

"GodSaveTheKing iseasily in my top must have's of the year! How could you go wrong with an Elvis tribute cd done up the psychobilly way? I dare you to not sing along as the legendary Nigel Lewis along with The Tombstone Brawlers do "Blue Moon of Kentucky". Try not to sway your hips too much as theMemphis Morticians cover "King Creole". This compilation is so good that Cosmic Voodoo went and recorded for the first time in 10 years just to be on it, then you know you need to have it!"

"Content-wise, Elvis isusually about as far from Psychobilly as ya can get. But in terms of Sound, he helped shape and popularize rockabilly, so a comp of psycho bands covering TheKingmakes sense. And this thirteen-track, fast-paced bass trip though the Presley catalogueis a bigger blast than popping pills and shooting TV sets. Howlin' highlights include Memphis Morticians adding just the right touch of sinister soul to "King Creole," Guitar Slingers' breakneck version of "C.C. Rider" and a sincere, appropriately twangy take on the funerary "Long Black Limousine," courtesy King Sleaze and Batmobile. However,thecrusty, high-energy live version of "Little Sister" best demonstrates the virtues of tearing TheKing off his throne and dragging him through the gutter.Time to add some sideburns to that pompadour."

From Rockabilly Monthly:

5 Stars

"One counsel Elvis Aaron left is that youthful ferment can lead to musical acting up -- what the world calls rock 'n' roll. Here, international buzzsaw psycho cells including Batmobile, Guitar Slingers, Memphis Morticians, and Monster Klub re-gard Kingly classics with splenetic favor."

From Big Cheese:

VARIOUS

'GodSaveTheKing'

(Rockin' Raven)

"What's that whirring?It's Elvis spinning in his grave. A nice little compilation of Psychobilly bands paying their musical tribute to theKing. Fittingly there are Psychobilly royalty in the shape of Nigel Lewis and Batmobile holding court has well as a plethora of young pretenders. There are some interesting unholy intercontinental alliances here including super group The Guitar Slingers which makes the album well worth tracking down. Not just your average cobble it together compilation but one that would gettheKing in a twist for sure."

We Want Elvis!!!

Hail To The King

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